"With all my heart I still love the man I killed..."
 

I count William Wyler among my favorite directors (including on that list Anh Hung Tran and Zhang Yimou). Six years after exploding to stardom in Of Human Bondage, Bette Davis equaled that excitement with another W. Somerset Maugham role as an adulteress using her sexual wiles to escape a murder conviction in The Letter. The film throbs with sultry tension thanks to Davis, an impeccable supporting cast, atmospheric cinematography and the artistry of three-time Academy Award winner Wyler, Davis' director on Jezebel and The Little Foxes. Nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture, Actress, Director and Supporting Actor (James Stephenson, superb as the anguished defense attorney), The Letter remains one of Hollywood's most special deliveries, a peerless example of melodrama as movie art.

Gary W. Tooze